Hyssop tea: how to make it, and what's actually in the cup

Hyssop tea is a hot-water infusion of dried Hyssopus officinalis leaf and flowering tops — steep 1-2 teaspoons in a cup of just-boiled water for 10-15 minutes, then strain. It's a different product from anise hyssop tea, water hyssop tea, and hyssop essential oil, which share the name but not the plant or, in the oil's case, the safety profile.

How to make it

Use 1-2 teaspoons of dried hyssop leaf and flowering tops per cup, or a pre-made tea bag. Pour just-boiled water over it, cover, and steep for 10-15 minutes — longer than a typical green or black tea, since dried herb needs more time to release its compounds into the water. Strain before drinking. Honey is a common addition; there's no research reason to add anything else.

Which "hyssop" is in the box

Three different plants get sold as "hyssop tea," and they aren't interchangeable:

• Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) — a mint-family Mediterranean herb, the subject of this page and of the human trial and safety research cited below.
• Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) — a different plant in the mint family, native to North America, with a licorice-like flavor. None of the research on this page applies to it.
• Water hyssop (Bacopa monnieri) — an unrelated wetland plant, also sold as "brahmi." Its own research is a separate topic from anything here.

Checking the botanical name (Hyssopus officinalis) on the package label is the only reliable way to know which plant is in your cup. See what is hyssop? A plain guide for more on the naming overlap.

Is hyssop tea safe to drink as food?

FDA lists hyssop among spices and natural seasonings generally recognized as safe for food use (21 CFR 182.10), which covers tea made from the dried leaf and flowering tops at ordinary culinary amounts. That's a food-use listing, not a statement about any health benefit — it means hyssop tea is treated the same way as any other culinary herb tea, not that it's been studied as a supplement.

Tea and the essential oil are not the same thing

Hyssop essential oil is a separate, far more concentrated product, distilled from the same plant. A 2019 systematic review named hyssop, among several other essential oils, as able to trigger seizures when taken internally, due to convulsant compounds including pinocamphone. That finding is about the concentrated oil taken by mouth — it isn't a reason to avoid a cup of dried-herb tea, but it's also a reason not to substitute essential oil for tea, or add drops of the oil to a drink. See hyssop oil for what the oil is and isn't used for, and hyssop side effects for the full safety picture.

Does hyssop tea do anything for cough or cold symptoms?

Hyssop has a long traditional use for cough, cold and digestive symptoms, noted in NIH's LiverTox reference monograph on the herb. But the one human trial that actually tested hyssop used a concentrated 12 g/day extract in syrup form, in adults already diagnosed with asthma, added to their usual treatment for 4 weeks — not tea, and not a general population. Nothing about that trial tells you what a cup of tea does. See hyssop benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for what that trial actually found, including its mixed result.

Questions people ask

Where can you buy hyssop tea?

It's sold as loose dried herb or pre-made tea bags at herbal shops, health food stores and online — a description of where it's available, not a claim about what it does.

How much hyssop tea can you drink a day?

There's no research-based amount, because no trial has tested tea itself — the one human trial used a 12 g/day extract syrup, a different form and a much higher concentration than a cup of tea delivers. A cup or two a day, the way most culinary herb teas are used, falls within the food-use listing above; there's no research finding to attach a specific daily number to.

What are the benefits of hyssop tea?

No trial has tested tea specifically, so this page can't attach a benefit to a cup of it. Hyssop benefits: what the research does and doesn't show covers what's actually been tested — a concentrated extract syrup, in people with a diagnosed condition, at a dose well above what tea provides.

Can hyssop be used for tea?

Yes — the dried leaf and flowering tops are the parts used, and hyssop is listed among spices FDA recognizes as safe for food use. The essential oil is a different, more concentrated product and isn't meant to be added to a drink.

Related reading: what is hyssop? A plain guide, hyssop benefits: what the research does and doesn't show, and how much hyssop should you take a day?